"Mostly total chaos"

I must admit that the quality of the surgery and care in the ICU was second to none! It is a shame that first class treatment by the surgical team was let down by the second rate follow up treatment. I was helped out of bed the day after a 7 hour operation and rapidly improved thereafter despite the poor quality care on U Ward. When I arrived for admission at the hospital, it was a surprise to the reception staff. I was even sent to the wrong ward (Ward L). When redirected to the proper ward (Ward J), no bed was available; I was consequently put in a small room and told to wait. It felt as though I had been forgotten about. After threatening to go home, a spare bed in the half empty ward was found. Following my transfer to U ward from the ICU, some of the HCAs or specialist nurses were rude or did their work entirely to their satisfaction giving the impression that the patients were an interuption to their gossiping. There was lack of dignity to patients when screens were poorly closed or they were ignored. A lot of the food was cold or inedible - even a salad could be ruined! Perhaps it was a contributory factor in me losing 5 kilos in 5 days. As I had a 100 mile trip home, and being reliant on a lift, I made this known to the ward doctors and nursing staff the day before departure to ensure all necessary paperwork etc. was available. This was not done, and I was requested to wait a couple of hours until they were ready to deal with my departure. I feel that I had been treated with a blatant lack of respect. I was glad to escape after only 5 days! All in all, I would not recommend post operative care at Southmead Hospital.